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Monday, August 5, 2013

An Increase in Temperature

The news of the
increase in global temperature seems to be old news, with the reported increase
being 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit over the last one hundred and fifty years. What’s
to blame for this increase? According to the American Geophysical Union, it’s
the way that we humans today continue to use and pump out fossil fuels.

Why does this
matter?

An increase in
temperature will “place significant stress on terrestrial ecosystems around the
world, and many species will need to make… adaptations to survive” (Mountain
View Patch).

What does this
have to do with energy poverty?

There are about
2.5 billion people that don’t have access to modern energy. This can more than
likely leave them a lot more vulnerable to things like weather disasters. A
means of remedying this would be to help give these people access to some
modern means of energy that they can use for lighting, cooking, transportation,
etc. and allow them to have a fighting chance when it comes to surviving these
disasters from the temperature and weather changes.

Is there a
downside?

Unfortunately
there would be. It has been stated that the use of modern energy and fuels is a
big part of the reason why there has been this substantial increase in the
globe’s temperature. Giving more people access to this energy would mean that
there would be an increase in the emissions that are put out. This would in
theory increase the possibility of this heating the climate is going through to
hasten.

The question
this information poses?

Is there a way
to help give those without access to modern energy an updated way of living
without harming the environment further, while also ensuring that these
alternative energy sources aren't ‘second best’ to those that already exist?

Things like
solar and wind power have been explored, and are continuing to be experimented
with to further understand the pros and cons of each. Though this still poses
the question of: will this be enough?